1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connectors for electrical connections, and more particularly, to structures of connectors for SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) cards used in cellular phones and the like.
2. Related Art
In recent years, cellular phones in which an SIM card can be installed have come into wide use. The SIM card is an IC card issued by a telephone enterprise with contractor information recorded thereon. The SIM card serves to identify a user through insertion into a cellular phone. For example, by installing an SIM card in a cellular phone after purchasing it, the user can start to use the SIM card immediately. Moreover, by SIM card replacement, the user can use another cellular phone with the same telephone number. Furthermore, the user can freely use a plurality of SIM cards with the same cellular phone.
As one example of connectors for such SIM cards, Japanese Unexamined patent application Publication No. 2003-257529 (referred to hereafter as Patent Document 1) discloses a multi-direction insertion connector for receiving an SIM card from at least two different directions, wherein the connector includes a plurality of contacts in which a punching die clearance between adjacent contacts can be made large in the pressing process without changing reception size for insertion of the SIM card.
FIGS. 9A to 9C are views showing a configuration of a connector in a first embodiment of Patent Document 1, wherein FIG. 9A is a plan view, FIG. 9B is a view taken along the line X-X in FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9C is a right side view of FIG. 9A. FIG. 9 of the application corresponds to FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective external view showing a contact used for a connector in a second embodiment of Patent Document 1. FIG. 10 of the application corresponds to FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1.
Referring to FIGS. 9A to 9C, a connector 80 includes a plurality of contacts 82 and a housing 81 for holding the contacts 82. Each contact 82 is formed with a contact part 83 that makes contact with an SIM card, not shown. The housing 81 holds the contact 82 so that the contact part 83 projects from a first surface 8a. The SIM card, not shown, is inserted into the connector 80 from a first card-insertion direction Y1 corresponding to the pitch direction along which the contacts 82 are arranged in parallel and a second card-insertion direction X1 orthogonal to the first card-insertion direction Y1.
Referring to FIGS. 9A to 9C, each contact part 83 includes a first guiding part 85 arranged on the side of the first card-insertion direction Y1 for guiding insertion of the SIM card and a second guiding part 86 arranged on the side of the second card-insertion direction X1 for guiding the SIM card. The contact part 83 is formed roughly in a T-shape. The first and second guiding parts 85 and 86 each are configured to have at least part receding from the first surface 8a of the housing 81.
Referring to FIG. 10, a contact 92 is formed by bending an elongated resilient metal plate in roughly an S-shape, and includes a contact part 83 having a tip shaped such that the circular top is half removed. The contact part 83 includes first and third guiding parts 85 and 87 arranged symmetrically and extending from the top obliquely downwardly with respect to both sides of the contact 92. The first and third guiding parts 85 and 87 have a tip bent and facing downward, and are formed roughly in a T-shape.
Referring to FIG. 10, the contact 92 includes a spring part 88, a holding part 89, a soldering part 90, and an engaging part 91. The spring part 88 extends from the contact part 83 inwards, obliquely and downwards to extend to the interior of the top face of the housing 81 (refer to FIG. 9B). The spring part 88 bends so as to be parallel to the top face of the housing 81, extends inwardly, and makes a U-turn so as to form a U-shape, extending to the outside of the housing 81 along the top face of the housing 81. The holding part 89 is arranged at a tip of the spring part 88 to bend downward therefrom so as to extend downward along the side face of the housing 81, reaching a lower end of the housing 81. The holding part 89 is press-fit into a mounting groove 81a (refer to FIG. 9C) of the housing 81. The soldering part 90 is arranged at a lower end of the holding part 89 to bend therefrom so as to extend outwardly. The soldering part 90 is soldered to a printed circuit board, not shown. The engaging part 91 is engaged with an insertion groove of the housing 81.
The connector including a plurality of contacts 92 shown in FIG. 10 can receive an SIM card, not shown, from the first card-insertion direction Y1 corresponding to the pitch direction along which the contacts 92 are arranged in parallel and a third card-insertion direction Y2 opposite the first card-insertion direction Y1.
As shown in FIG. 10, the contact 92 including first and third guiding parts 85 and 87 that extend from the top (i.e., referred to as a contact point) of the contact part 83 obliquely and downward is advantageous for insertion of an SIM card from multiple directions. However, the contact 92 causes a problem in that a mounting height H with respect to the housing 81 is increased due to restriction of the guiding parts 85 and 87. That is, in order for the contact part 83 to secure a given amount of curvature, a predetermined clearance needs to be arranged between the tip of the first and third guiding parts 85 and 87 and the holding part 89.
For example, there is a demand for further reduction in weight and thickness in cellular phones in which an SIM card can be installed. However, the contact including card-guiding parts as shown in FIGS. 9A to 10 has a fixed limit to reduction in the mounting height of the connector. Thus, there is a demand for height reduction in connectors into which an SIM card is slidably inserted. Preferably, the connections are of the self-correction type having a so-called self-alignment effect, wherein the inclined position of the SIM card is corrected in accordance with insertion thereof. Realization of a configuration for such connectors is a problem to be solved by the invention.